Feb. 1, 2014

Written by

News-Leader Staff

12

Homicides in 2013, down from 16 the year before Robberies in 2013, up from 353 the year before Aggravated assaults in 2013, up from 1,086 in 2012 Rapes in 2013, up from 141 reported in 2012

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The number of serious crimes reported to Springfield police increased about 3 percent in 2013, according the Uniform Crime Report released Friday, with a larger increase — almost 19 percent — in the number of violent crimes such as assault, robbery and rape.

The number of homicides declined, however, and the near doubling of the number of reported rapes appears to be due at least in part to a change in the way such crimes are classified.

Police Chief Paul Williams noted in a news release that the 3 percent increase in UCR Part I crimes “is slightly above the 2.2 percent increase per year averaged over the last decade.”

The overall number of serious crimes, which are reported to the FBI as part of its Uniform Crime Reporting program, is about the same as the number reported in 2010, effectively erasing an overall reduction in UCR crimes recorded in 2011.

“Despite the increases shown in the report, Springfield remains a safe place to live, work, and play,” Williams said. “By working together, our Department and the community are reducing the fear of crime and the occurrence of crime and improving the quality of life in neighborhoods citywide.”

Among the highlights of the report:

• Homicides decreased 25 percent, from 16 to 12. Of those, 10 have been solved, the release said.

• Robberies were up almost 12 percent, from 353 to 395. Police attribute the rise to a 66 percent increase in residential robberies or “home invasions,” many of which are thought to be drug-related.

• Aggravated assaults, by far the most common violent crime tracked as part of the UCR, were up 11 percent, from 1,086 to 1,206. Police said many are the result of domestic violence, which has been a focus of the department and partner agencies during the past year.

• Reported rapes increased 99 percent, from 141 to 281. The release notes that starting Jan. 1, the U.S. Department of Justice changed the definition of rape used for the UCR to include a wider variety of sexual assaults. Police had expected the number of reported rapes to as much as double as a result.

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“While the perception will be that rapes increased significantly in the last year, the reality is the new definition has given us a truer perspective on the number of sexual assaults that had actually been occurring in our community,” Williams said in the release.

The release also noted that, although drug crimes are not included in the UCR Part I crime report, methamphetamine issues are “often the nexus to violent criminal behavior.”

“Last year, SPD narcotics investigators seized a total of 22.56 pounds of methamphetamine, a significant increase in meth seizures from the year before,” the release said.

Overall, the percentage of crimes against people that the department cleared in 2013 increased compared to the previous year, from about 52 percent to 56 percent.

Property crime, which accounts for almost 89 percent of the crimes included in the report, was up a little more than 1 percent, with a marginal increase in the total number of crimes cleared.

The news release attributed the comparatively modest increase to heightened community awareness and crime prevention initiatives as well as increased enforcement and a partnership with the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office that targeted repeat property crime offenders.

The release noted that the police department has created a new vehicle theft unit to combat a noticeable increase in auto theft, which was up 9 percent.

Burglaries, up 4 percent, also were targeted, the release said, resulting in increased clearance rates for both types of crime — about 12 percent of burglaries were cleared in 2013, compared to less than 9 percent the year before, while the number of auto thefts cleared increased from about 16 percent to 20 percent.

Overall, about $16.3 million in cash and other goods was lost as a result of the crimes reported in 2013.